How to export or backup email in Outlook 2003.

Our company is moving from office 2003 to 2010 and moving away from pst files. Is there some way that I backup or export all my mail to something usable without having to export each message as a text file?

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Unfortunately no...I would be able to use that myself as a portable app from my thumb drive, but that would never be able to be installed by the average user. I am hoping that even though we can't have the email delivered directly to pst, that we will be allowed to attach a pst to use for storage.

I think all that is going to be disabled through GPO though, so I am looking for other alternatives. Sorry this isn't as easy as it might have first appeared.

Unfortunately I am not in control of all the email changes going on...what I know is that PST's will be disabled completely. You won't be able to retrieve the mail out of them even if you do back up...linking to a pst is going to be disabled. OST files are supposedly going to be allowed, but I don't know much about them or in what manner they will be used. All email will now reside on Exchange and the total email size limit has been increased somewhat to allow for this. However, there are some users with massive pst files and archive pst files that are going to be told that they are out of luck when the change goes into effect in a few months...

All I know is that people will be looking to save gigs worth of email data in something that is not a pst file or an application other than something that is approved. Thunderbird is not...

I have chosen to go the route of moving what I really need into Onenote, but not everyone has that option...

OK, I think you misunderstand what PST files are. Am I right is assuming that currently people's mailboxes are stored on their local machines in a PST file?

If that's the case, you want to configure their outlook client to connect to the exchange box then import their local PST file. This will take each mailbox item in the PST and upload it to the exchange server. It will not store anythign in PST on the exchange server, simply upload to from PST to Exchange mailboxstore.

OR

Are you syaing that the use of the Outlook archive facility will be disabled because it uses PST files? Realistically, if you're going to tell people they are out of mailbox space you either have to help them delete things off and make space or offer them some way of storing that data.

In what way are PST files being disabled? The reason I ask this is because as far as I know PST fiels are best practice for local storage of mailbox items and also the most widel;y supported in an exchange environment.

AFter reading your (ImaCircularSaw) question again, these are REMOTE pst files...the kind that MS says they don't support. So the Exchange server isn't changing...the email is stored on a users home directory in their pst file. This will be going away and they will just have Exchange...

Our PST files are NOT stored loacally. And I know what you are talking about with importing the email, but that won't work because of the size limitation. People are being allowed 200meg and I might be the only one in a very small dept of about 8 that is anywhere close to that at 270 megs...most are well over 1 gig.

It is my understanding that the use of the archive functionality in outlook will be disabled as well as adding a pst in outlook and just dragging your items down from your exchange folders to a local pst. Users will have 200megs of Exchange space...that is all.

Realistically, if you're going to tell people they are out of mailbox space you either have to help them delete things off and make space or offer them some way of storing that data.

Sorry, but just reading that made me laugh knowing how things go where I work...

LOL, I know what you mean about mailbox sizes. Becomes such a political topic whenEVER anything happens to email servers. What on earth did we do before email?!

OK, so I have this straight in my head (because we've styarted to make things clear):

Users currently use outlook/exchange.
Their mailbox sizes are being reduced and limited to 200MB.
The outlook option to export mailbox items is being disabled via GPO.
Importing mailbox items is also being disabled via GPO.

You want to be able to backup people's mailboxes in a usable manner before the limit is enforce?

If this is the case here are the options I know of:

1) Select a date rage for archiving. Save the archived folder locally so that the user can interact with it yet it does not stay on the exchange box. This might not work if PST files are being outlawed.

2) In outlook, select and drag/copy the mail items you want to remove from exchange, dump them in a folder and delete from outlook. This will be difficult when it comes to finding old emails.

The issue with this is that one way or another the mailbox items have to be stored on your network. Depending on your AD configuration it may be the case that the homedir is redirected and actually sits on a faileserver. If this is the case the data still sits on a server somewhere and has to be backed up.

Can I ask what this policy is based on as it seems that YOU have a requirement to still use the data they are so willingly wanting to get rid of. If they do this they'll end up with confidential email data all over the place. I would much rather take the hardware/disk space hit and keep it centrally, secure, backed up.

Am I missing something? You might be able to find a better solution with third party products but these might not be viable to install?

1) Select a date rage for archiving. Save the archived folder locally so that the user can interact with it yet it does not stay on the exchange box. This might not work if PST files are being outlawed.

It is my understanding that PST files in any form and for whatever use will be gone. I hope this is not the case, but that is the word.

I think this is just the begining of big changes coming and the homedrives as we know them know will be gone and replaced with something else. The policy change I have no idea about. I am WAY down the ladder from those that make these decisions, but I know the people that have to implement them and so I hear about it a little earlier than most. As for what I need to keep, my dept supports about 100 applications, so he have a lot of old emails about different things relating to those apps and the databases that they connect to...

Like I said, this won't be a big change for me as I am not storing a ton of stuff and what I do keep I am moving into Onenote and have for some time.

Third Party products won't be of any use unfortunately. Thanks for the help...as I expected there is really no good solution...just suck it up and take it...LOL

Unless the powers at be search through your homedir for PST files how are they outlawing them? Equally, if they so not specifically disable archiving, how will they stop you using it?

They might restrict the saving of .PST files, otherwise I can't think how they'll introduce this.

I would speak to your contact and find out two things:

A) why the change in policy?
B) how are they planning to enforce it?

Sorry I can't be of more use but hopefully you can't legitimately get around this for the sake if your users. Storage is cheap these days anyhow! I bet you directors still get huge inboxes! Let me know if you find out anything more...

Thanks and yes some of the "big dogs" have large pst files with multiple large archives. Also, it is my understanding that home drives will be searched for pst files.

Is there a way that you can disable the adding of a pst in outlook? Let's say I am on just exchange and I add a pst file in outlook and use that just for storage...Is it possible to disable that feature in outlook, registry, whatever, so that not only can I not create a new pst, but I can add an existing on either?

It's theoretically possible through creating your own GPOs or through coding with the office SDK yes, a lot of work though. There may also be a registry entry you can do it by but am on the train and cannot research it. If I were to do it I would first look at any configurable options or reg entries hat can be rolled out over GPO, next o would look at adons or code.

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